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"Krider's" Red-Tailed Hawk at Marl Bed Flats

On Friday I went to Marl Bed Flats, which is my favorite place to look for shorebirds and ducks in Seminole County--well, let's be honest. Marl Bed Flats and Central Winds are my two favorite places to bird in Seminole County. Marl Bed Flats has been pretty much flooded since October, and it's it's only become passable in the past month or so. Even now it's wet--you need wading boots to get anywhere good.

"Krider's" Red-tailed Hawk

But the upper slough (where it's more shallow) is just filled with birds--hundreds of birds: ibises, herons and egrets, ducks (mostly Blue-winged Teal and Shovelers), and shorebirds (mostly yellowlegs, snipe and killdeer).

"Krider's" Red-tailed Hawk

The biggest surprise came when I heard a Red-tailed Hawk behind me. I went to look at it, and it was flying relatively low over the trees and towards me. It was all white on its undersides. So I decided to focus on getting good pictures and then study the details of the bird in my photos. Sure enough, it was a Krider's Hawk, or at least mostly Krider's (I suppose there could be some "eastern" genes in there).Krider's Hawks are home to the Great Plains, and they aren't really supposed to be in Florida, though several winter around Lake Apopka each year, and a few get found during the Christmas Bid Counts. Away from Lake Apopka, though, you don't really see them. Marl Bed Flats is at Lake Jesup about 20-30 miles away. So I guess this one decided it want to head east for a bit. Perhaps it's hanging out in the area, though, because it seems to have a full crop. Perhaps it's planning to deplete our squirrel or rabbit population a little while it's here.